Chicha de jora

There are many different types of chicha in South America. Chicha morada for example, is a sweet and spiced non-alcoholic variety made from purple corn. But the one I’m writing about here is the boozy chicha de jora.

While in the Sacred Valley, Peru, we stumbled upon a local watering hole. Despite the fact it was only 11am, there were a few people in there enjoying a brew. Picture the scene: stone floor and walls, wooden benches around the edge of the room, numerous guinea pigs running free (but possibly not for long), and an enormous earthenware cauldron of chicha.

It’s only about 2 or 3% abv, but three litres consumed at speed (which seemed to be what most people were going for) will get you pleasantly pickled – especially if you’re only teeny tiny in size like our friend in the photo, Pablito. The beer is pretty much the same size as his head. 

I suddenly didn’t feel very thirsty as I saw the chicha being ladled from the vat; sludgy yellow, cloudy, and topped with dirty grey foam. All served in an ENORMOUS glass. But let’s look at the pros: It was cool and refreshing. It’s a natural product, so has to be better for you than our chemical-ridden lagers. And it was cheap – about 40p a litre.

Onto the cons: It looked nasty, and tasted of corn. The sour aftertaste was reminiscent of bile. Specifically, it reminded me of underage drinking and the taste of Merrydown cider coming back up. Oh dear. It gave me a funny tummy (not in a ‘ha-ha’ way, more like an ‘uh-oh’ way).

I only found out some weeks later that chicha makers use the enzymes in their saliva to break down the starch. Cheers! *clinks glass and gags*

Rating: An accidentally-spit-sharing 4/10